C.K. Raggio blends her love of Long Island with her obsession of monsters, mystery
and serial killers in her thrillers and horror stories. Besides her addiction to
reading, writing, fishing and P90X, C.K. is also a diehard NY Islanders fan. She
lives with her husband, two dogs and one very temperamental cat.

Book title: Heron Park

Brief Synopsis:

A small Long Island town erupts in a panic when a woman and her dog are found savagely
murdered on a popular hiking trail. Tasked with finding the sadistic killer, Homicide
Detective Cassie Logan and FBI Agent Rick Sanders grow increasingly desperate after
another woman is found dead at the same park, her body more gruesome and disturbing
than the last.

The killer and his unusual, but highly-trained best friend are on the hunt. With
the body count rising, Cassie and Rick fight to stay a step ahead of him. But how
do you catch a predator who evolves with each of his brutal attacks? And what if
the killer ultimately decides that you will be his next prey?

Personal

What do you do to relax when you are not writing?

I hate to say it, but I am a TV junkie. There is nothing more relaxing than cuddling
up on the couch with a cocktail and a good movie or TV series blaring on the tube.
But usually within about fifteen minutes I’m multitasking by reading a book or going
on line too. I mean really, who can sit still these days? I also love fishing, walking
my dogs and jogging. Oh, and P90X. Nothing says relaxing like working up a good sweat!

What, or who, inspired you to become a writer?

Like most, I’ve always written in some form. I think it really started when I was
given a diary for my birthday. That’s when I realized you didn’t always need a person
to be able to quiet down an active brain. My love of reading made jumping from journals
to novels an obvious choice. I tried many times through my teens, but never finished
one.

I found Jack Ketchum a horror author (the best in his genre) about five years ago.
One of his books called RED was what gave me the impulse to try my hand at writing
a novel again. My first novel HERON PARK was published three years later.

Current work

What, or who, inspired you to write your soon to be released novel, The Gentlemen’s
Club?

The character of Vincent Giorgi actually came to me in a dream, but when I sat down
and really started putting a story together everything ran a bit deeper. A similar
experience of happened to one of my characters happened to me. It made this novel
all the more complicated and difficult for me to write. I had to really dig deep
and it wasn’t easy at all. But in the end, no matter how readers take to it or not,
I am ridiculously proud of not only it, but myself for really pushing the limits
and for opening up. I learned a lot about myself and that’s always important.

Here’s a brief synopsis of The Gentlemen’s Club:

Vincent Giorgi’s revenge for his daughter’s death crosses every line. His money gives
him an edge and his friends make it all possible. He kills for the greater good,
but as he brings more and more people into his twisted club it’s not only the guilty
who are being destroyed.

Cara Lasko was raped by a co-worker. She’s fragile, but not broken. Johnny Staal
was a child left behind who turned to murder to survive into adulthood. Vincent will
bring them together. But to what purpose?

The mistakes, lies and deceit build to a breaking point, and then an unexpected twist
that nobody could’ve imagined. When it comes to revenge nobody is ever truly innocent

Tell us three interesting facts about your book which are not covered in the synopsis.

1) Main Character Johnny was involved in underground fighting.

2) The clock starts ticking very early on in the novel when we find out a character
is dying.

3) Cara will probably seem broken to most, but in my mind she is one of the strongest
characters I’ve ever written.

What research did you need to do for this book?

I did most of my research on line. Google is a writer’s best friend!

Are any elements/characters of your book based on real life experiences or people
you’ve met/known?

I mentioned above that I experienced something like one of my characters goes through
in the beginning of The Gentlemen’s Club. There’s no reason for details but I am
working on an ‘afterward’ that I’m hoping will not only let other survivors know
they are not alone but for any family or friends in the picture, this is when you
will be needed the most.

Tell us a little about your current work-in-progress.

The Gentleman’s Club is my current WIP and will be released summer 2014. But I am
also mentally preparing for the second book in my crime series starring the gorgeous
Detective Cassie Logan. I left an opening at the end of the first in the series Heron
Park, so this second book will begin about a year later. That’s all I can say without
giving anything away!

Writing/publication process

What process did you adopt from inception through to the finished book?

I always write my first draft as quickly as I can. TGC took me about four months
to complete. What I am left with is a very, very rough draft. I then edit till my
head is going to pop, then submit it to my on line critique group. critiquecircle.com
is awesome for anyone who is looking for some amazing and honest help. I then edit
some more before sending it to my editor.

What do you need (or not need) around you whilst writing?

My dogs must be by my side for moral support and I need it to be pretty quiet. I
get distracted easily, an on-going battle for me.

What prompted you to self-publish your current book?

JA Konrath’s website single-handily gave me the push in the self-publish direction.
Then after more research, I decided for me it was the best way to go.

What were the three biggest challenges you faced when writing your book?

1) Personally I had to open up and dig deep.

2) Editing. It is always a nightmare for me.

3) I think hitting the publish key is going to be a huge challenge for me on this
novel. To be honest, I’m nervous on how people are going to take it. But that’s why
there is alcohol, breathing exercises and I could always shut my eyes and hit enter
(which is probably how it’s going to go down).

Every author seems to suffer with writer’s block at some point. How do you overcome
it?

The first thing I’ll try is walking away from the computer. Do something else for
about fifteen minutes. If that doesn’t work, I start thinking about other story ideas.
No matter if I think I’ll ever write them or not. I think most writers have something
hidden away somewhere. Once my brain gets back on the imagination train, I’m usually
good to go.

What single piece of advice would you give to any aspiring writer?

Don’t listen to all the naysayers. These people can be good friends and family (of
course the ones who hurt the most). They don’t understand a writer’s passion, and
they probably never will. Keep yourself surrounded by positive writers and people
who lift you and your writing up.